Sympathy for the Devil
by AthenaScarlet
Summary: When a devil and a detective show up in Storybrooke just before the holidays, it's up to Emma Swan and her dashing pirate to figure out why and what to do next.


_For the lovely seethelovelyintheworld for the Gutter Flower CS Secret Santa 2016. :)_

She shouldn't be doing this because, seriously, her father could walk in. Then how would she explain the fact that instead of working, she was making out with her boyfriend in the sheriff's station under mistletoe? (And who the hell even hung it there in the first place? Not that Emma minded, but seriously.)

Luckily, she heard the door to the station open despite the warm pirate distraction, which gave her enough time to pull herself away before her father came in.

"Emma!"

She stepped away from Killian abruptly and straightened out her shirt, putting a quick smile on her face just as her pirate did the same. It was all the more necessary when David turned the corner and she realized he wasn't alone.

"Emma." He looked a bit worried, but she could tell he was trying to hide it. "I uh… I want you to meet some people who just arrived in town."

She turned to see the two new guests walking in with her father - a petite but no-nonsense looking blonde woman and a tall man with dark features.

 _People who just arrived in town? This isn't good,_ she thought as she tried to hide her apprehension about the situation. And she knew she wasn't the only one. She could feel Killian tense up beside her as his hook quickly disappear from the small of her back. She hoped it was because he was hiding it.

"Emma is the sheriff of Storybrooke," David explained to the blonde woman standing next to him.

"Detective Chloe Decker of the LAPD," the woman said as she walked towards Emma with her hand out.

Emma politely returned the woman's greeting with a warm smile to hide her concern. "It's nice to meet you," she replied. "This is uh…"

She turned to look at Killian, wondering how to exactly address this situation with the detective.

"Killian Jones," he said while still hiding his hook behind Emma. "I just help out around here."

Chloe gestured towards the man behind her. "I have one of those too."

The man behind her smirked, seemingly amused by her description of him, but there was something unsettling about the way he looked at Emma.

"So can you explain why you're here?"

"Oh, right," Chloe said. "Well, as I told Deputy Nolan when we found him at the local diner, there's an attorney in LA who tried to kill me. It's a complicated story. So Lucifer mentioned he knew of this town and said we could come here to lay low for awhile."

"I'm sorry, who?" Killian asked.

"Lucifer Morningstar," the tall man said. "That's me."

Emma's eyes narrowed towards the man. "That's your real name?"

"Yes, it is, sheriff," he said. "Is that a problem?"

Emma looked to her father to see his reaction, but he had none. Was she the only one in Storybrooke who had actually heard of the devil? Like, the Bible one. Not the Greek one. She already met that guy, and he sucked.

"No, not a problem," Emma replied, trying to find her composure. "Just an unusual name."

"It is," he said with a smile before turning to his partner. "Detective, why don't you and Deputy Douche-" The man quickly cleared his throat as David gave him a confused look. "My apologies. Old habit," he explained with a smile. "Why don't you and Deputy _David_ scope out the town and I can stay here and talk to the sheriff about our case."

Chloe seemed to be a bit worried about this plan, like she was concerned about leaving Lucifer unattended. "Is that OK with you, sheriff?"

Emma nodded. "Sure, that's fine. And you can call me Emma."

Chloe gave her a tight smile before turning to David. "Where should we go first?"

"Granny runs a bed and breakfast. We could get the two of you checked in there and then I'll show you some of the area."

"Sounds good," she said, walking towards her partner. "Be on your best behavior."

"Always am, detective," he said cheerfully.

The trio watched Chloe and David walk out, the detective already asking him questions before the front door finally closed behind them. Then Emma's focus landed on the mysterious man in front of her - and it seemed he was just as curious about them.

"Right," the man said in his English accent. "Let's sit and chat, shall we?"

Emma motioned for him to take a seat on the couch and was about to sit next to him when she realized she was still hiding Killian's arm from the man.

"Oh, you don't need to worry, sheriff. I already saw the captain's hook."

"You what?" Killian sounded shocked, which pretty much matched how Emma felt.

"You're Captain Hook, correct?" he asked.

Emma looked at him and gave him a small nod. "Yes," he said apprehensively.

"How did you know that?"

"Well, it all started when my father created the universe," Lucifer said.

The sheriff rolled her eyes. "Why don't we skip a few million years if that's OK with you."

"Of course," he said.

Emma took a seat at the other end of the couch and Killian, with his hook now out for all of them to see, grabbed a desk chair and took a place next to Emma.

"So if you know about Hook, then you know about this town."

Lucifer leaned forward. "Why do you think I came here?" he asked. "The Evil Queen created this place with magic, and I need magic like that to protect Chloe right now."

"But how do you even know about magic?"

"Where do you think dark magic comes from?" he said with a smirk. "I mean, I am the devil."

"The what?"

Emma turned to see the look on Killian's face, and it wasn't good. He was pale, as if he had seen a ghost, and looked like he was about to bolt out the door or start a fight or something.

"I'm the devil," Lucifer said flippantly.

Killian's jaw flexed as his anger began to rise. "I've met the devil already," he said through clenched teeth. "You are not him."

For the first time since he walked into the sheriff's station, the man seemed to become serious. "You met the devil?"

"Hades," Emma clarified.

Lucifer's smile returned. "Oh, him. That bastard is a god - lower case G, of course. Not a capital G like my dear old dad," he added with a bitter smirk. "I'm just an angel. I mean, I get why people confuse me with Hades, but his area of the Underworld is much different than mine."

"Different?" Emma asked skeptically.

"Yes, mine's more fire and brimstone and torturous stuff. His is more of a weird cartoon with that river of souls and that drooling three-headed dog. It's a bit of a whimsical production. Anyway, I haven't seen him in awhile so who know what he's been up to."

Emma stared at Killian, willing him to keep his mouth shut. She still hadn't fully figured out exactly what was going on with this guy and didn't want to make a mistake by telling him more than he needed to know.

Instead, she turned back to Lucifer, intent on using her polite interrogation techniques on him to figure out what the hell was going on.

"So here's the thing," she said. "I'm pretty good at knowing when someone is lying."

"Oh, me too!" he replied. "So do you just question people and decide they're lying, or do you have some sort of magic to make them tell the truth?"

She looked at him skeptically. "I don't use magic to make someone tell the truth."

"You should," he said enthusiastically. "It works well."

"Really?"

Lucifer leaned over, his arm resting on his knee, and he looked intently into Emma's eyes. "Sheriff, tell me your deepest desire."

Emma felt a jolt go up her spine, as if the only two people in the room were her and this man who thought he was the devil. She was about to tell him her deepest desire, the one thing that she wasn't even sure she would tell Killian. But just as she was about to speak, the feeling disappeared. She took a deep breath, feeling as if a fog was lifting from her brain, and stared back at the man.

"My deepest desire is for you to tell me what the hell you're doing here."

Lucifer gave her a look that she couldn't quite explain - part surprise, part amusement, with maybe a little bit of admiration thrown in as well. "You're an interesting one, sheriff," he said demurely. "So what would you like to know?"

"First, start with the Evil Queen."

The man sighed and leaned back on the couch. "We're acquaintances. Run in similar circles with sinister people. And while I do not look forward to being in her debt, I need some help, especially when it comes to Detective Decker."

"Because you have a man after you?" Killian asked.

Lucifer bristled. "Not a man. A woman, who just happens to be my mother."

Emma's eyes narrowed. "Your mother wants to kill Chloe?"

"Yes," he said. "It sounds torrid and dramatic, well, because it is, but I can assure you that the threat is real."

"We're used to drama here," Emma lamented.

"And family issue," Killian added.

Lucifer smirked and got up from his spot, walking over to the small cells in the sheriff's station as if he was contemplating his next move. "Well, I do know a few things about your drama here, love."

Emma turned to see Killian scowling at the man's moniker for Emma, a moniker that the pirate seemed to believe belonged only to him.

"So what do you know about our drama?" she asked their guest.

"I'm pretty sure you're more than just the sheriff here. I believe you're also the Savior," Lucifer said quietly. "And while you make think this is strange, I think we're on the same side when it comes to protecting Chloe." He stopped and took a deep breath, measuring out his words. "Someone who is a law enforcement officer in danger, of course."

There was more to it than that, at least for him, but Emma didn't want to push. "Of course," she answered simply.

"So while I could ask you to tell me where the regal one is and then be indebted to the Evil Queen," he explained. "Now that I know you're here as well, I would prefer the Savior's help."

Killian scoffed. "There's a problem with that, mate."

"What's the problem, _mate_?"

"We have our own issues with Regina and the Evil Queen," Emma said. "She split and now there are two of them."

"Two?"

"Aye," Killian added. "And the evil one - well, the really evil one - has become a bit of an issue. As much as I believe Emma and I may want to help you, our first priority at this moment is to destroy the queen."

Lucifer nodded with a smirk on his face. "Would you like to make a deal with the devil?"

"Not really," Emma muttered.

But Lucifer seemed to heed her no mind. "If you, as the Savior, can help me protect Chloe, I can help you with your evil regal problem."

Emma stared at him for a few moments. They had been so frustrated lately with trying to keep up with the queen's next move and always being a step or two behind. She could put a spell or a charm on Chloe and give her the protection she would need in this town - especially considering the town was its own protection. She could also get help defeating the queen once and for all. How could it be a bad deal?

Except it was a deal with the devil. Literally.

But as Emma had already learned from her time in Storybrooke, you could never judge a book by its cover or a character by their story. Was it possible that this man who may be the real deal could actually help them? In this case, it was a chance she was willing to take - on one condition.

"My soul isn't at stake, is it?" she asked.

Lucifer laughed at her. "No. I don't think I could handle a spitfire like you."

Killian scoffed. "That's one thing you're right about, mate."

"Do you do any better with her?"

The pirate turned to smile at her and shook his head. "I don't think there is anyone who can contain Emma Swan."

"Lovely. So it's a deal!" he announced.

"And you're not taking anyone's souls."

"No, sheriff," he said in exasperation. "It's an even trade. You help me, I help you. The pirate gets to do some swashbuckling with both of us." Lucifer leaned in as if to tell Emma a secret. "Although if I'm being honest, I think he prefers the type of _swashbuckling_ he offers you."

Emma rolled her eyes and turned to Killian, who had a big cheesy grin on his face. "Fine," she answered in defeat. "Should we talk strategy?"

"I would love that!" Lucifer replied.

"Swan, perhaps a libation at the Rabbit Hole would be in order first."

"Oh, the Rabbit Hole," Lucifer said. "Sounds kinky."

"It's not," Emma replied as she turned and headed for her office to get her coat. "But it's the only bar in town, and they have six different kinds of rum."

Lucifer threw his arm around Killian's shoulder. "Sounds like the perfect spot for a pirate and a devil."

Killian pushed Lucifer's arm away and stared at him. "First rule for protecting you in Storybrooke: you don't mention the devil around me."

"My, my, my," Lucifer replied teasingly. "That is a story that I can't wait to hear, captain!"

xxx xxx xxx

While David and Detective Decker checked out the town, the trio of the Savior, the pirate and the devil checked out the liquor at the local bar. Lucifer asked Emma about her bail bonds business and she asked him about his nightclub. And somewhere around the second hour of their time at the bar, the discussion turned more serious.

"So really, captain. What is it about the devil that spooks you so?"

Killian shifted in his seat and stared down at his rum. "I was tortured by Hades in the Underworld."

"Tortured?" Lucifer asked. "But that would mean you were dead."

"Aye."

Lucifer's glass hit the table a little harder than Emma expected. "You died and went to the Underworld, and now you're here?" he asked. "How is that possible?"

Killian looked up and smiled across the table. "I helped Emma," he explained. "So Zeus rewarded me by sending me home."

"Zeus? Well, he's always been a little more forgiving than my dear old dad. May be all the women he sleeps with. Not that I can fault him for that." Lucifer smiled as he took another drink from his glass. "So where is Hades now? Is he around here or will I have to go, you know, _down there_ to visit him?"

Emma and Killian exchanged looks over her tumbler of rum. "Hades is dead," she said.

"What do you mean by _dead_?" Lucifer asked. "You can't kill him."

She nodded her head. "Well, you can, and we did."

"Oh," the devil said quietly. "So you killed a god."

The three of them sat there in silence, each staring down at their glasses. Emma wasn't really sure how this conversation got so dark.

"So," she said abruptly. "Another round?"

"Yes," the boys answered her in unison.

She was about to get up when the door to the bar opened and her father walked in with Chloe.

"Detective Decker!" Lucifer announced cheerfully. "How was your tour of the town with Deputy Douche?" He grimaced and held up his hand. "I apologize again, deputy. I will get your name right soon."

David gave him a tight smile and a slight nod. Emma wondered if her father, Prince Charming of the Enchanted Forest who had lived here isolated for decades, even know what a douche was - either literally or figuratively - and if he even knew it was an insult.

"We were just going to get a refill," Lucifer said with a flourish. "Detective, you up for a libation?"

"Sure," Chloe replied, and headed off to the bar with a devil and a prince, leaving Emma and Killian behind in the booth. It was a good thing because for the first time since the pair arrived, Emma was finally able to take a breath and try to really assess this whole situation. There would be some specific things that would need to be addressed. Lucifer suggested that Chloe didn't really believe him when he told her he was the devil and would probably be a bit shocked by the true nature of Storybrooke. That meant Emma would have to keep her magic a secret for awhile. It would also mean the captain would definitely have to leave the hook behind.

"Killian?"

He drained the last drops of rum from his tumbler before putting it on the table to look at her, a lopsided grin reserved only for her.

"I think we're going to have to keep some things hidden from Chloe - at least for awhile."

His hand came up to caress her shoulder before he put his fingers through her blonde tresses. "I know exactly what you're saying, love, and I agree."

She sighed in relief. "It's not that I don't love you for who you are-"

"But you want to keep this town's secrets safe," he added. "Always the Savior, aren't you, Swan?"

Emma shrugged and turned back to the bar, watching her father talk to the new people in town. She could tell he was still a bit guarded, especially when Lucifer began to talk. He could handle the detective, but the devil was going to be another story.

"Can I ask you a question, Swan?"

"Sure."

Emma turned to see Killian staring at her with a look that was both apprehension and amusement.

"When Lucifer asked you about your deepest desire earlier, it almost seemed like you were going to answer him."

"Almost," Emma admitted. "He has some sort of pull - maybe magic or just persuasion or something. We need to keep an eye on that when he's in town."

"Right," Killian said with a bit of a distracted tone. "But what I meant was - well, what _is_ your deepest desire, Swan?"

She had no problem telling him her deepest desire. It was just her hope, her wish for the future. It was something she would never hesitate to tell him. But the look on his face was one she had seen before, and as she remembered a moment the two of them shared in a world far away, she couldn't help but give him a teasing smile.

"Wouldn't you like to know."

His smile grew wider and he pushed himself closer to her on the bench. "Perhaps I would."

This was not like the response he gave her in Neverland. Sure, it was honest, just as that response had been. But there was a heat in his eyes that wasn't there in Neverland, a heat that had developed over months of experiences with curses and gods and snow monsters and witches and anything else that had distracted them from some time alone.

But tonight? Tonight, they could have many moments to themselves, especially because Henry was staying with Regina.

"Do I have to be the Savior tonight or can I wait until tomorrow?"

"Tonight, you can just be mine, love," he said quietly. "And I will be yours and not the pirate with the hook."

Her hand crossed to the other side of his body, and she gently grabbed his hook, low enough under the table where prying eyes and Los Angeles detectives couldn't see it. "That's too bad," she said sweetly. "I kind of like the hook."

He smiled at her, that warm smile that told her that he was hers. "Your heart's desire, Swan."

She pulled her hand back and turned to their new companions. Chloe was telling a story that seemed to have both Lucifer and David hanging on to her every word. If Emma was being honest with herself, she knew that it was going to be nice to have another woman in the sheriff's office with her, even with all the complications of having a non-magical person like the detective in Storybrooke.

But there would be plenty of time to become friends later. Tonight, she just wanted to go home.

"So, pirate. Do you think you can sneak some treasure past an unsuspecting member of the law?"

The corners of Killian's mouth beginning to curl up mischievously. "That's quite a challenge, sheriff," he teased. "What's in it for me?"

"I may be able to find something at home that's worth your while," she replied.

Killian studied her, his tongue darting over his lips before giving her a slight nod in agreement.

They quickly said their goodbyes with Emma promising to talk to Chloe at the sheriff's office in the morning, then walked out the front door with Killian's hook still well hidden from view. Chloe had no idea. Once again, her captain proved to be quite the pirate.

The street outside was lined with holiday decorations - evergreen garland, twinkly lights and bows. Granny had a tree in the courtyard that held tables in the summer months. A light snow had begun to fall, and Emma brushed a few flakes off of Killian's coat before grabbing his arm and pulling him close.

"Well, that wasn't so hard," she said triumphantly as they headed down the block towards their house.

"That wasn't hard, but I can think of something else that will be," Killian murmured teasingly.

Emma laughed, his line catching her a bit off guard. "I guess it didn't take you long to really get in the pirate spirit, did it?"

"Aye," he answered quietly as he nuzzled the spot on her collarbone that made her start to sweat in the cool winter night. "Now let's get you home."

"As you wish, captain."


End file.
